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I do not generally agree with posting up stuff that I do not actually physically own, as the point of the blog for me is to share things from my own personal collection with others. In doing so, it also encourages me to still go out and hunt down CDs and to avoid relying too heavily on sourcing stuff from the internet alone. Today is an exception, as Large Professor’s shelved LP never received a CD release and I imagine only exists as vinyl promos or bootlegs. I also own the ‘IJUSWANNACHILL’ 12” so feel that I can justify posting this up.

There isn’t much to say about Large Pro that you probably don’t know already. With production credits on some of the most important albums in the genre’s history as well as a load of remix work he is without doubt one of the most accomplished and prolific hip hop producers of all time. Like others in this category, he has a unique and defined quality to his work that means you know you’re listening to Large Pro even if you can’t put into words exactly what makes the track his own. Of course, he’s had his lower points as well with ‘1st Class’ being a definite disappointment, and I wasn’t really feelin’ his most recent instrumental LP although haven’t given it much of a chance. Still, these are small gripes with such a strong and bangin’ discography. By the way, did I mention that he’s pretty tight on the mic as well?

I simply cannot understand how ‘The LP’ was never released. Hip hop seems to have been plagued with these sort of mistakes, with Freddie Foxxx’s sophomore LP receiving the same treatment as well as a whole host of quality albums that never saw the light of day. How can these record companies not have realised what they had on their hands? I think this was due to drop in ’96 and easily stands up against the strongest releases of the year. There’s a guest appearance from Nas that surely would have guaranteed sales and with Large Pro’s track record it seems astonishing that this never got a proper release. They even made a relatively high budget looking video for ‘IJUSWANNACHILL’ (see below), so how could they not have taken that final step and got this out there?

Whatever the reason, Geffen made a categoric error. ‘The LP’ is an exceptional album that will be appreciated by any fan of the genre. Large Professor in his prime: it doesn’t get much better than this.